Americans United - Government-sponsored prayerhttps://au.org/tags/government-sponsored-prayer
enI Won’t Stand For It!: A Former Judge Says He’ll Take The Greece Ruling Sitting Downhttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/i-won-t-stand-for-it-a-former-judge-says-he-ll-take-the-greece-ruling
<a href="/about/people/james-c-nelson">James C. Nelson</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The Supreme Court appears to take the position that this sort of church-state incest is just part of good ole’ American government – no harm, no foul. Well, the court is wrong.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p><em>Editor’s Note: Today 's blog post is by James C. Nelson, a retired justice of the Montana Supreme Court. Nelson was appointed to the court by</em> Gov. <em>Marc Racicot in 1993 and was reelected to the position three times, serving until his retirement in 2013. </em></p><p>I am a non-believer. I became that late in my adult life because I was disgusted with the hypocrisy of some varieties of religion and with the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in particular. My decision was grounded in more hours of study and contemplation than I care to estimate. I do not believe in, much less pray to, any god.</p><p>My point with that opening is that the religion clauses of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protect my fundamental right to be a non-believer; they ensure, among other things, that my various federal, state, county and local governments cannot require me – directly or indirectly – to participate in any religious exercise. Read together these religion clauses form the wall of separation between church and state that the framers intended. They keep – or at least they are supposed to keep – religion out of government and government out of religion.</p><p>That is why I cannot accept the Supreme Court’s <a href="http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/12-696_4f57.pdf">May 5 decision</a> in <em>Town of Greece v. Galloway.</em> In that case, the high court held that a New York town’s practice of opening its official board meetings with a Christian prayer offered by members of the clergy <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2014/0505/Supreme-Court-Constitution-allows-for-public-prayer-at-town-meetings-video">does not violate</a> the First Amendment and does not discriminate against minority faiths or coerce participation from non-adherents. </p><p>The court’s decision is flat wrong. It respects neither the history underpinning the adoption of the religion clauses, the wall of separation, nor the reality that “We the People” are a pluralistic and diverse society encompassing all degrees of sectarian believers, agnostics and atheists. </p><p>Nonetheless, that decision is now the law of the land – created from whole cloth and judicially blessed by the right-wing Christian majority of our nation’s highest court. And, that puts me in a box. </p><p>For many years I have stood during opening prayers in public meetings of federal, state and local government. I did so out of a sense of respect for the beliefs of others and for decorum, notwithstanding my personal disbelief in the prayer and the god prayed to. But, while respect can be freely given, it cannot be compelled. And, thus, the <em>Greece</em> ruling leaves me but one option.</p><p>I will stand no longer for prayer! I will not, as the Supreme Court suggests, leave the room during the invocation. Rather, I will sit during the prayer in the meeting room in which I am constitutionally entitled to assemble. I will not be bullied nor will I be shamed into standing. After all, I’m not the one violating the constitutional separation of church and state. I cannot and will not be compelled to participate in any fashion in government-sponsored prayer.</p><p>To be clear, my problem is not with those who profess and practice belief in one form of religious doctrine or another. That fundamental right is guaranteed by the First Amendment. Rather, my issue is with public officials who insist on foisting their personal religious beliefs – through prayers in particular – on persons, like me and on others who do not believe, at public meetings. Stated another way, I take issue with government leaders who insist on mixing their official duties with religious prayers, pontifications, Bible readings and calls upon their god, before, during or at the end official public meetings.</p><p>Yet, the Supreme Court in <em>Greece</em> appears to take the position that this sort of church-state incest is just part of good ole’ American government – no harm, no foul. Well, the court is wrong. It is harmful to the First Amendment rights of non-believers and there is, accordingly, a foul of constitutional magnitude.</p><p>Any legal rationale that facilitates some public officials’ seemingly incessant attempts to force their religion down the unwilling throats of non-believers as part of government meetings undisputedly violates the First Amendment. If that truth offends the religious sensibilities of those doing the facilitating, then so be it. Indeed, thanks to the Roberts Five and the <em>Greece </em>ruling, everyone can now be offended – officially and as a matter of law.</p><p>There are many “ocracys” that the framers of our Constitution tried to prevent. Chief among them was theocracy. For, to paraphrase C.S. Lewis, those who torment us with their religious beliefs will do so without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.</p><p>Now, sadly, they will also do so officially, with the divine sanction of the Supreme Court of the United States. </p><p>We the People may be stuck with the court’s newest dictate, but, as for me. . . . I will stand no longer for prayer.</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/prayer-at-government-events-and-legislative-meetings">Prayer at Government Events and Legislative Meetings</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/james-c-nelson">James C. Nelson</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/town-of-greece-v-galloway">Town of Greece v. Galloway</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/greece">Greece</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/supreme-court">Supreme Court</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/government-sponsored-prayer">Government-sponsored prayer</a></span></div></div>Thu, 08 May 2014 14:56:07 +0000Rob Boston9934 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/i-won-t-stand-for-it-a-former-judge-says-he-ll-take-the-greece-ruling#commentsTop court may hear N.Y. lawsuit over prayershttps://au.org/media/in-the-news/top-court-may-hear-ny-lawsuit-over-prayers
<div class="field field-name-field-news-source field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">USA Today</div></div></div>Thu, 09 May 2013 15:56:14 +0000Joseph L. Conn8353 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/media/in-the-news/top-court-may-hear-ny-lawsuit-over-prayers#commentsTexas Tall Tale: Americans United Is Anti-Christian – Not!https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/texas-tall-tale-americans-united-is-anti-christian-not
<a href="/about/people/joseph-l-conn">Joseph L. Conn</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">I wonder if the folks in Texas who are such ardent advocates of Christian prayer at county commissioners’ meetings would be as enthusiastic about maintaining a Buddhist shrine in New Mexico.
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Is Americans United anti-Christian? Of course not.</p><p>We exist to defend the constitutional separation of church and state, a principle that protects alike Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, non-believers and persons with all sorts of opinions about religion. But you’d never know that by listening to some of our opponents.</p><p>In Hays County, Texas, the Commissioners Court had a habit of opening most of its sessions with Christian prayers. A local resident called AU to object to this sectarian practice, so our legal department sent along a letter on the subject.</p><p>“We write to inform you,” AU attorneys said, “that your prayer practice is in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and ask that you bring your prayer practice into constitutional compliance by either ending the practice altogether or by revising your prayer policy to allow only nonsectarian prayer.”</p><p>Yesterday, local clergy and other citizens descended on the court to heatedly demand that the Christian prayers continue. Jonathan Saenz of the Liberty Institute, a Religious Right legal outfit, weighed in as well.</p><p>According <a href="http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/hillcountry/entries/2012/09/25/prayer_at_hays_county_commissi.html/">to the Austin <em>Statesman</em></a>, Saenz said the organization would represent the county in any lawsuit for free.</p><p>“Let’s be honest, we know what this is about,” he said. “These people don’t want the name of Jesus uttered.”</p><p>When Saenz says “these people,” I think he means us. And he’s just plain wrong.</p><p>What we want is simple. We want the Hays County Commissioners Court to obey the law, honor the U.S. Constitution and respect the religious diversity in America. This has nothing whatsoever to do with hostility toward any faith.</p><p>If you need additional evidence of AU’s even-handedness and commitment to principle, you might check another news development.</p><p>The <em>Albuquerque Journal</em> <a href="http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/09/25/news/stupa-is-moving-today.html">reported yesterday</a> that the National Park Service is moving a large Buddhist shrine from the Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico. Americans United and others had asked the Park Service to do so, noting that maintenance of a religious shrine in a public park raises serious constitutional issues.</p><p>According to the <em>Journal</em>, attorneys for the U.S. Department of the Interior agreed with our take, and the Buddhist stupa is being transferred today to private property.</p><p>Needless to say, AU has no hostility whatsoever toward the Buddhist faith. We just think public parks ought to welcome everyone and not appear to endorse one religious tradition over others.</p><p>I wonder if the folks in Texas who are such ardent advocates of Christian prayer at county commissioners’ meetings would be as enthusiastic about maintaining a Buddhist shrine in New Mexico.</p><p>Somehow I think not.</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/prayer-at-government-events-and-legislative-meetings">Prayer at Government Events and Legislative Meetings</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/government-sponsored-religious-displays">Government-Sponsored Religious Displays</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/government-sponsored-prayer">Government-sponsored prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-symbols-public-land">religious symbols on public land</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Location:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/our-work/grassroots/new-mexico">New Mexico</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/our-work/grassroots/texas">Texas</a></span></div></div>Wed, 26 Sep 2012 16:11:50 +0000Joseph L. Conn7572 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/texas-tall-tale-americans-united-is-anti-christian-not#commentsSussex County Council gives up Lord's Prayerhttps://au.org/media/in-the-news/sussex-county-council-gives-up-lords-prayer
<div class="field field-name-field-news-source field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Cape Gazette</div></div></div>Wed, 12 Sep 2012 13:32:44 +0000Joseph L. Conn7534 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/media/in-the-news/sussex-county-council-gives-up-lords-prayer#commentsNo Amen From Us: Perry Prayer Rally Gets Judge’s Approval, But Not Ourshttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/no-amen-from-us-perry-prayer-rally-gets-judge%E2%80%99s-approval-but-not-ours
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>I’m heading to Houston, folks! I’ll be accompanying Americans United Executive Director Barry W. Lynn as we join with the Texas ACLU and other progressive allies to put on a rally on the night before Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s fundamentalist Christian prayer fest.</p>
<p>Perry has teamed with the American Family Association (designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center) and is sponsoring “The Response,” a day of prayer and fasting at Reliant Stadium. They have made it clear that their Aug. 6 event reflects a “Christians only” ethos, and <a href="http://blog.au.org/2011/07/20/correcting-a-confused-columnist-why-gov-perry%E2%80%99s-exclusionary-prayer-event-is-wrong-for-texas-%E2%80%93-and-america/">no other religious groups</a> are invited to participate. Perry and the AFA seem to think fundamentalist Christians are the only ones who can and should pray for our country’s betterment.</p>
<p>In contrast, AU’s “<a href="http://www.americanindependent.com/195840/aclu-au-to-host-faith-family-and-freedom-rally-to-counter-perrys-response">Family, Faith and Freedom</a>” celebration will include speakers from many different faith traditions as well as nonbelievers. (More details on the time and location of our event to come.) Lynn will be speaking on the importance of church-state separation, and why it’s problematic for Perry to be sending the message that only Christians of a specific variety are qualified to contribute to the public good.</p>
<p>This is a great chance for those disgusted by Perry’s actions to come out and say so. It’s open to the public. After all, it seems like this may be our only recourse. A federal district judge ruled yesterday that there is <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/us/politics/29perry.html">nothing any of us</a> can do legally to stop Perry from supporting one religious belief over others.</p>
<p>Never mind what the Constitution says or what our Founding Fathers wanted, U.S. District Judge Gray H. Miller said the Freedom from Religion Foundation can’t block the government-endorsed event in court. He ruled that the five plaintiffs in <em><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/61176464/FFRF-v-Perry-7-11">Freedom from Religion Foundation, Inc. v. Perry</a></em> have suffered no real injury and do not have “standing” (the right to sue) to stop Perry from meddling in religion in this fashion.</p>
<p>In other words, Judge Miller has slammed the door on church-state separationists as they seek to defend their constitutional rights.</p>
<p>How Judge Miller can claim that this hasn’t caused the citizens of Texas any injury is beyond me. Texas is a large and diverse state, and Perry is supposed to represent all the people that live there – including minorities.</p>
<p>By joining with the AFA, Perry has essentially endorsed this group and what it stands for. That means Perry is singling out certain Texans and making them feel unwelcome in their own state. He’s treating many Americans like second-class citizens and his actions have injured plenty.</p>
<p>This decision is certainly contrary to our Founding Fathers’ <a href="http://www.au.org/resources/history/nourishing-the-erroneous-idea.html">vision</a>. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison thought governmental prayer proclamations were unwise and constitutionally dubious. As president, Jefferson flatly refused to issue them. Madison issued such proclamations under pressure from Congress during the War of 1812 but later said he wished he hadn’t. Andrew Jackson, the nation’s seventh president, also refused to issue religious proclamations.</p>
<p>Yet Perry has taken it upon himself to do exactly what he was not elected to do, and it’s outrageous.</p>
<p>If you can, join us in Houston next Friday, and let’s send the governor a message.</p>
<p>P.S.: The “Family, Faith and Freedom” celebration will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. at Mount Ararat Baptist Church (5801 W. Montgomery Rd., Houston, Texas) on Aug. 5, the evening before “The Response." Please keep checking www. au.org for more details.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/fighting-religious-right">Fighting the Religious Right</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/american-family-association">American Family Association</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/government-sponsored-prayer">Government-sponsored prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/governmental-prayer-proclamations">governmental prayer proclamations</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rick-perry">Rick Perry</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/texas">Texas</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/response">The Response</a></span></div></div>Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:41:41 +0000Sandhya Bathija2549 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/no-amen-from-us-perry-prayer-rally-gets-judge%E2%80%99s-approval-but-not-ours#commentsFaith In Freedom: Religious Groups Oppose Sectarian Invocations At N.C. Government Meetingshttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/faith-in-freedom-religious-groups-oppose-sectarian-invocations-at-nc
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Many people of faith are among the strongest supporters of church-state separation.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Religious Right groups regularly insist that all devout Americans, especially Christians, must be against the separation of church and state.</p>
<p>As usual, they’re completely off the mark. In fact, many people of faith are among the strongest supporters of church-state separation. And we have a new piece of evidence.</p>
<p>The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC) has just filed a <a href="http://www.bjconline.org/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=3677&amp;Itemid=134">friend-of-the-court brief</a> with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals opposing sectarian invocations at the Forsyth County (N.C.) Board of Commissioners’ meetings.</p>
<p>In the brief, the BJC asserts:</p>
<p>“[T]he legislative prayers in this case have the actual effect of affiliating the Forsyth County Board with the Christian faith and have resulted in the Board advancing Christianity above other belief systems. This marriage of a local government and the Christian faith is directly contrary to the fundamental principle of [church-state separation], the ‘belief that a union of government and religion tends to destroy government and to degrade religion.’ This Court should not permit such a union to stand.”</p>
<p>Another <a href="http://www.adl.org/civil_rights/ab/2010-07-05-Minority-Religions-Amicus-Brief.pdf">friend-of-the-court brief</a> was filed by several minority religious groups, including the American Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, the Hindu American Foundation, the Blue Mountain Lotus Society (a Buddhist group) and two Sikh groups (the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation and the Sikh Council on Religion and Education).</p>
<p>Their brief argues that sectarian prayer divides communities and discourages members of minority faiths from participating in the political process or practicing their religion publicly.</p>
<p>The two briefs were filed in the <em>Joyner v Forsyth County</em> case, a lawsuit in which Americans United and the North Carolina ACLU are challenging the commission’s sectarian bias. For years, the Forsyth board invited local clergy to deliver Christian prayers at board meetings.</p>
<p>Despite receiving letters from AU and the ACLU demanding that the practice stop, board members refused to do so, leading to the litigation.</p>
<p>The district court <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2010/01/federal-court-strikes-down.html">struck down</a> the board’s unfair and divisive policy in January.</p>
<p>But, represented by the Religious Right legal group, the Alliance Defense Fund, the board <a href="http://blog.au.org/2010/02/24/forsyth-county-appeals-prayer-ruling-a-vote-of-olympian-shortsightedness/">appealed</a> the decision to the 4th Circuit in February.</p>
<p>Both these friend-of-the-court briefs are by people of faith who understand why church-state separation is so vital to our religious freedom. Forbidding government favoritism on religion doesn’t threaten religious liberty, it preserves it. And that’s what they have reminded the court.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/american-jewish-congress">American Jewish Congress</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/baptist-joint-committee-religious-liberty">Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/government-sponsored-prayer">Government-sponsored prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/guru-gobind-singh-foundation">Guru Gobind Singh Foundation</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/courts">In the Courts</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/joyner-v-forsyth-county">Joyner v. Forsyth County</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/official-prayer-religious-displays-amp-ceremonial-religion-outside-schools">Official Prayer, Religious Displays &amp;amp; Ceremonial Religion (outside schools)</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/sikh-council-religion-and-education">Sikh Council on Religion and Education</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/anti-defamation-league">the Anti-Defamation League</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/blue-mountain-lotus-society">the Blue Mountain Lotus Society</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/hindu-american-foundation-0">the Hindu American Foundation</a></span></div></div>Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:27:06 +0000Sandhya Bathija2450 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/faith-in-freedom-religious-groups-oppose-sectarian-invocations-at-nc#commentsInvocation Infraction: N.C. Commission Votes To Continue Sectarian Prayerhttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/invocation-infraction-nc-commission-votes-to-continue-sectarian-prayer
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">“I feel like my faith is being persecuted,” said Tammy Summey, a resident who provided testimony. “I don’t care how anyone else wants to pray, but please don’t take away my Jesus.”</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Some residents of Henderson County, N.C., seem determined to fight unnecessary battles.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20100526/ARTICLES/5261024?Title=Prayers-reflect-Christian-heritage">news reports</a>, the Henderson County Commission held a meeting last night to hear from the community and take a final vote on whether its monthly meetings should continue to open with sectarian invocations.</p>
<p>The commissioners wanted to address the issue in light of a federal court decision in February that struck down another North Carolina county’s policy of starting board meetings with sectarian prayers.</p>
<p>U.S. District Judge James A. Beaty <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2010/01/www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2010/01/joyner-v-forsyth-co-opinion.pdf">held</a> that Forsyth County’s usual preference for Christian prayers violated the constitutional separation of church and state.</p>
<p>“[T]he prayers offered in the implementation of the Policy here,” he wrote in <em>Joyner v. Forsyth County</em>, “did not reflect diversity and inclusiveness, and instead were divisive and had the effect of affiliating the Government with one particular belief.”</p>
<p>The decision was clear, easy to understand and seemingly easy to follow. Yet the Henderson County Commission unanimously voted to continue its sectarian prayer policy anyway. Commissioners were apparently persuaded by the citizens who claimed – inaccurately – that this is a Christian nation and that stopping the prayers would infringe on their religious liberty.</p>
<p>“I feel like my faith is being persecuted,” said Tammy Summey, a resident who provided testimony. “I don’t care how anyone else wants to pray, but please don’t take away my Jesus.”</p>
<p>Another man said he was deeply troubled by the fact the board could even consider doing away with the Christian prayers before meetings.</p>
<p>“Those who believe in the name of God have a right to pray to that God before a meeting,” resident Larry Marshall said. “When you tell a person how to pray and when they can pray, you are interfering with their conscience.”</p>
<p>Because of “advice” such as this, the commission has decided to keep the status quo. And commissioners were frank about their motives.</p>
<p>According to the <em><a href="http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20100526/ARTICLES/5261023?p=1&amp;tc=pg">Times-News</a></em>, Commissioner Larry Young said that he prays every day and asks Jesus Christ to help him in his decision-making for the county.</p>
<p>“I move to uphold prayer at our meetings,” he said. “This is the way Jesus wants me to go.”</p>
<p>Commission Vice Chair Mark Williams took a similar stance.</p>
<p>“Over the years, I have been called upon to give the prayer,” he said. “Each and every time I pray will be in the name of Jesus Christ. I do that because that's my faith, doing anything else would be going against my personal beliefs.”</p>
<p>But Commissioner Williams doesn’t seem to understand that other Henderson County residents have their beliefs too, and giving his faith the appearance of being the official county religion is wrong.</p>
<p>I can’t say that was a wise decision, nor does it make much sense to follow suggestions from a few devout but misguided citizens, rather than the law.</p>
<p>Commissioner Chuck McGrady told the board that the <em>Forsyth</em> decision has no jurisdiction in Henderson County, so they don’t need to follow it.</p>
<p>Regardless if that is true, he seems to forget that Henderson County still falls under the jurisdiction of the Constitution, which makes it clear that government cannot favor one particular religious belief over others, or religion over non-religion. That’s the only way to ensure that Americans from all faith backgrounds, and none, feel included in their communities.</p>
<p>The <em>Forsyth</em> decision <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2010/04/the-forsyth-saga.html">has been appealed</a> to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Americans United is serving as co-counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union to defend Judge Beaty’s decision. If the appeals court upholds the district court’s opinion, there is no question it will be binding on Henderson County, as well.</p>
<p>In the meantime, those who live in western North Carolina can make your voices heard on this issue. The Western North Carolina Chapter of Americans United and the Interfaith Ministerial Association of Henderson County are sponsoring a public forum on prayer at government meetings.</p>
<p>The event will be held at Hendersonville Library (Kaplan Auditorium) on Thursday, June 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. Speakers will include Dr. William Campbell, Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Hendersonville; Dr. Sheldon Marne, Podiatrist in Hendersonville; and the Rev. Phillip Allen, President of WNC Chapter of Americans United. Free and open to the public.</p>
<p>For more information, email <a href="mailto:info@auwnc.org">info@auwnc.org</a>.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/forsyth-county">Forsyth County</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/government-sponsored-prayer">Government-sponsored prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/henderson-county">Henderson County</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/joyner-v-forsyth-county">Joyner v. Forsyth County</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/north-carolina">north carolina</a></span></div></div>Wed, 26 May 2010 19:36:13 +0000Sandhya Bathija2439 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/invocation-infraction-nc-commission-votes-to-continue-sectarian-prayer#commentsCap, Gown & Individual Freedom: Court Bars Majority-Rules Prayer At Graduation In Indianahttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/cap-gown-individual-freedom-court-bars-majority-rules-prayer-at-graduation
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Every year around this time, public schools across the country insist that a formal act of worship must be included in graduation ceremonies.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>This past weekend, I attended my sister’s graduation ceremony at the University of Michigan, where President Barack Obama delivered the commencement address.</p>
<p>The Ann Arbor ceremony included a variety of speeches welcoming the students, their families and the president. Some speeches were inspiring, others were congratulatory and most contained a good deal of school spirit. (Being a Buckeye myself, hearing “Go Blue” shouted by our president particularly stung.)</p>
<p>But there was one thing I noticed wasn’t part of the ceremony – an invocation. Despite the absence of an official prayer, no one seemed any less enthusiastic, celebratory or grateful.</p>
<p>Yet every year around this time, public schools across the country insist that a formal act of worship must be included in graduation ceremonies. For example, Greenwood High School near Indianapolis has encouraged a student-led prayer at commencement for the past 50 years. For the past 15 years, the school has allowed students to vote on whether prayer should be part of the event.</p>
<p>This year was no different. In September, graduating students were called to an assembly and handed ballots that instructed the students: “You may, as a class, decide to have a class prayer at your graduation ceremony. If you choose to have a prayer it will be non-denominational &amp; be led by a member of your class. Please vote YES or NO below.”</p>
<p>As in previous years, a majority of students voted to hold the prayer. But this year, the school’s valedictorian, Eric Workman, who will deliver a speech at the ceremony, filed a lawsuit objecting to both the proposed religious exercise and to the school’s voting policy.</p>
<p>A few days ago, a federal district court judge agreed with Workman (who was represented by the Indiana ACLU) and <a href="http://www.indystar.com/assets/pdf/BG15687151.PDF">granted a preliminary injunction</a> prohibiting the high school from sponsoring the prayer at its May 28 ceremony.</p>
<p>Judge Sarah Evans Barker, a Reagan appointee, said the courts have been very clear on the issue. She cited <em>Lee v. Weisman</em>, a 1992 Supreme Court decision that struck down clergy-led invocations at school graduation ceremonies.</p>
<p>Barker also pointed to <em>Santa Fe</em><em> Indep. School Dist. v. Doe</em>, a 2000 Supreme Court decision that barred student votes on holding prayers before high school football games.</p>
<p>The high court, in holding the school’s policy unconstitutional, said “this student election does nothing to protect minority views but rather places the students who hold such views at the mercy of the majority.”</p>
<p>Barker said the situation at Greenwood High School is no different and found that the school had “put itself in constitutional duck soup.”</p>
<p>Wrote the judge, “Greenwood’s graduation prayer practice, like the one in Santa Fe, ‘is invalid on its face because it establishes an improper majoritarian election on religion, and unquestionably has the purpose and creates the perception of encouraging the delivery of prayer. Under the circumstances of this case, were a prayer to be permitted at the upcoming Greenwood graduation ceremony, it would likely be perceived ‘as a public expression of the views of the majority of the student body delivered with the approval of the school administration.’”</p>
<p>Greenwood Superintendent David Edds <a href="http://www.indystar.com/article/20100501/LOCAL/5010347/Judge-rules-against-school-in-prayer-case">said</a> the school does not plan to appeal the <em>Workman v. Greenwood Community School Corporation </em>decision. He indicated that the district will no longer hold votes or try to sponsor graduation prayers in future years.</p>
<p>We’re happy to see this matter in Greenwood, Ind., brought to a close, and we congratulate Greenwood valedictorian Eric Workman for standing up for the Constitution. But it would be even more satisfying if all public schools this graduation season could honor each and every student – regardless of religious background – without needing a federal court to intervene.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/government-sponsored-prayer">Government-sponsored prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/graduation-ceremony">Graduation ceremony</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/prayer">Prayer</a></span></div></div>Mon, 03 May 2010 21:51:11 +0000Sandhya Bathija2434 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/cap-gown-individual-freedom-court-bars-majority-rules-prayer-at-graduation#commentsPrayer Day Politics: U.S. House Members Rush To Criticize Court Rulinghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/prayer-day-politics-us-house-members-rush-to-criticize-court-ruling
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Supporters of the resolution claim Americans need the National Day of Prayer, and that they must prevail in this fight or else the country is doomed.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>With all the <a href="//blog.au.org/2010/04/16/prayer-day-decision-the-religious-right-predictably-gets-it-wrong/?utm_source=au-homepage&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Recently-on-homepage">hoopla</a> last week over the federal court decision striking down the National Day of Prayer, Americans United knew the Religious Right would be putting pressure on their allies in Congress to take action.</p>
<p>As predicted, U.S. Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), co-chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, has introduced two resolutions in the House in defense of the government-sponsored religious event. One measure <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c111:1:./temp/~c111BbDekv::">calls</a> Attorney General Eric Holder to appeal the district court decision, and the other <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c111:2:./temp/~c111BbDekv::">affirms</a> the day as constitutional and part of America’s historical traditions.</p>
<p>Forbes, along with the other members of the National Prayer Caucus, <a href="http://forbes.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=181734">announced</a> the first of the resolutions – a demand to appeal the decision -- yesterday at a press conference on Capitol Hill.</p>
<p>“This decision is not representative of a vast majority of Americans regardless of their faith or even their non-faith,” <a href="http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2010/April/Resolution-Asks-Obama-to-Appeal-Day-of-Prayer-Ruling/">said</a> Forbes.</p>
<p>Forbes was <a href="//www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/36160.html">joined</a> by a handful of other House members to cosponsor the bills, including U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) who claims the district court’s decision is “patently absurd,” and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) who criticized Judge Barbara Crabb for being “ignorant of history.”</p>
<p>But mostly, supporters of the resolution claim Americans need the National Day of Prayer, and that they must prevail in this fight or else the country is doomed.</p>
<p>“Make no mistake about it, there is a struggle going on in our country over whose sets of values, whose sets of principles are going to prevail: the secular left versus those of us who believe in the Judeo-Christian tradition and heritage and truths that are part of that,” said U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).</p>
<p>“My concern,” he continued, “is if we don’t prevail on the values debate, we may not have the toughness, the tenacity, what it takes to prevail on the other big challenges: the economic and financial concerns we face, the terrorist threat we fact. It is really that important. It’s really that fundamental.”</p>
<p>I see.</p>
<p>So if we skip the National Day of Prayer, we no longer will be able to fight terrorists or face our financial concerns? I had no idea.</p>
<p>I thought that if the government wasted time defending unconstitutional measures just to prove a point or curry favor with voters, that may be what prevents us from taking on these real challenges that matter. As many supporters of this resolution have pointed out, we are fighting two wars and facing hard economic times. Why, then, is the National Day of Prayer at the top of their list?</p>
<p>Besides, Americans have the right to pray (or not) anywhere, anytime. That’s never going to change, even without a “national day of prayer.” There’s no need for Congress to intervene.</p>
<p>As AU’s Executive Director Barry W. Lynn <a href="http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2010/April/Resolution-Asks-Obama-to-Appeal-Day-of-Prayer-Ruling/">said</a>, “The United States Congress has no business, no authority, and frankly not a great deal of talent, in telling people how to be better Americans.”</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> As I was posting this blog, the Obama Adminstration <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/04/22/national.day.of.prayer/">announced</a> it will file an appeal of the National Day of Prayer decision to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/government-sponsored-prayer">Government-sponsored prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/national-day-prayer">National Day of Prayer</a></span></div></div>Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:10:49 +0000Sandhya Bathija2431 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/prayer-day-politics-us-house-members-rush-to-criticize-court-ruling#commentsPrayer Day Decision: The Religious Right (Predictably) Gets It Wronghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/prayer-day-decision-the-religious-right-predictably-gets-it-wrong
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">This decision is not attacking America’s heritage at all – in fact, it is upholding what our Founding Fathers intended.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Last night, Americans United celebrated a decision by a U.S. district court judge who <a href="http://www.au.org/documents/2010/obama-order.pdf">ruled</a> the congressionally mandated National Day of Prayer was unconstitutional.</p>
<p>The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, AU’s executive director, <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2010/04/au-praises-federal-court.html">hailed</a> the decision as a “tremendous victory for religious liberty. Congress has no business telling Americans when or how to pray.”</p>
<p>But several Religious Right leaders are predictably dismayed over the ruling.</p>
<p>“It’s important to remember this about the National Day of Payer: It’s America’s heritage, and this day belongs to Americans,” <a href="http://www.adfmedia.org/News/PRDetail/3977">said</a> Alliance Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster.</p>
<p>Shirley Dobson, chairman of the (privately sponsored) National Day of Prayer Task Force and wife of Focus on the Family Founder James Dobson, elaborated on those thoughts.</p>
<p>“Since the days of our Founding Fathers, the government has protected and encouraged public prayer and other expressions of dependence on the Almighty,” Dobson <a href="http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/4387713640.html">said</a>. “This is a concerted effort by a small but determined number of people who have tried to prohibit all references to the Creator in the public square, whether it be the Ten Commandments, the Pledge of Allegiance, or the simple act of corporate prayer – this is unconscionable for a free society.”</p>
<p>Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of Pat Robertson’s American Center for Law and Justice, which represented 31 members of Congress in a friend-of-the-court brief defending the National Day of Prayer, also chimed in.</p>
<p>“It is unfortunate that this court failed to understand that a day set aside for prayer for the country represents a time-honored tradition that embraces the First Amendment, not violates it,” he <a href="http://www.cnsnews.com/news/print/64225">said</a>.</p>
<p>Oster, Dobson, Sekulow and their aligned groups are wrong. This decision is not attacking America’s heritage at all – in fact, it is upholding what our Founding Fathers intended.</p>
<p>The National Day of Prayer was created by Congress less than 60 years ago. And if we <a href="http://www.au.org/resources/history/old-docs/jefferson-and-madison-on.pdf">look to the Founding Fathers’ examples</a>, we see how James Madison, considered the Father of the Constitution, thought presidential prayer proclamations nourished the erroneous idea of a national religion and how Thomas Jefferson believed that the decision to pray should be left up to the individual.</p>
<p>It’s this vision that U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb of the Western District of Wisconsin brought us back to yesterday. She said that by enacting the National Day of Prayer statute, “the government has taken sides on a matter that must be left to individual conscience.”</p>
<p>Crabb also explained that this does not in any way prohibit any individual, including the president, from praying.</p>
<p>“No one can doubt the important role that prayer plays in the spiritual life of a believer,” she wrote. “In the best of times, people may pray as a way of expressing joy and thanks; during times of grief, many find that prayer provides comfort. Others may pray to give praise, seek forgiveness, ask for guidance or find the truth.</p>
<p>“However,” she continued, “recognizing the importance of prayer to many people does not mean that the government may enact a statute in support of it, any more than the government may encourage citizens to fast during the month of Ramadan, attend a synagogue, purify themselves in a sweat lodge or practice rune magic. In fact, it is because the nature of prayer is so personal and can have such a powerful effect on a community that the government may not use its authority to try to influence an individual’s decision whether and when to pray.”</p>
<p>Wise words.</p>
<p>How could anyone who believes in religious liberty disagree?</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/fighting-religious-right">Fighting the Religious Right</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/alliance-defense-fund-adf">Alliance Defense Fund (ADF)</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/founding-fathers">Founding Fathers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/government-sponsored-prayer">Government-sponsored prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/james-madison">James Madison</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/jay-sekulow">Jay Sekulow</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/joel-oster">Joel Oster</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/national-day-prayer">National Day of Prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/official-prayer-religious-displays-amp-ceremonial-religion-outside-schools">Official Prayer, Religious Displays &amp;amp; Ceremonial Religion (outside schools)</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-and-politics">Religion and politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/shirley-dobson">Shirley Dobson</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/thomas-jefferson">thomas jefferson</a></span></div></div>Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:25:43 +0000Sandhya Bathija2429 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/prayer-day-decision-the-religious-right-predictably-gets-it-wrong#comments